Conservation Technology: Gaming, Big Data and Virtual Reality

Join the Festival of Nature as they present an exciting, informative showcase of new thinking, projects and debates at the intersection of technology and conservation. An incredible line-up of talks from a diverse selection of speakers includes:

Zoologist Jules Howard will explore whether VR technology could really help us communicate conservation messages in new and inspiring ways? Jules will examine how the rise of cheap and accessible VR technology might influence the sector, calling on experiences gathered from producing two new VR projects for the wildlife charity, Froglife.

Sarah Bladen will discuss the prospect of fighting illegal fishing with big data and artificial intelligence. Millions of square miles of ocean. Hundreds of thousands of fishing vessels. The fishing industry has long been hard to monitor. Its global footprint is difficult even to visualize. Much fishing takes place unobserved, far from land, and once the boats move on, they leave behind few visible traces of their activity. In this environment, illegal fishing activity flourishes and has given rise to a $23 billion problem. Against this challenging background, new technologies are creating an information revolution that has the power to transform our understanding of what’s happening on our blue planet. By harnessing cutting edge technology, Global Fishing Watch’s mapping platform allows anyone to view and investigate global fishing activity in near real-time, for free. Global Fishing Watch’s efforts have already impacted fishing policies and resulted in government crackdowns on illegal fishing — heralding a new era of transparency and accountability.

Also present will be Danielle Connor of Pocket Pals – a new upcoming app that connects people with wildlife and the environment using their mobile phones. The app will utilise GPS on mobile devices, allowing players to walk and locate digital animals. The app will release this summer 2018 with two ‘environments’ including woodland and coastal with 20 unique species from charismatic puffins to awesome stag beetles. The game will have a strong educational emphasis with users being able to learn how to identify mammals from footprints, learn about latin species classification and much more. The app aims to inspire young audiences to gain an interest in nature and to highlight conservation concerns to a wider audience.